Steve Cherundolo may be known as the Mayor of Hannover, but he now holds another distinct title for his club: all-time leader in Bundesliga appearances.
Cherundolo set the Hannover 96 record for most league matches played in on Saturday, as he took part in his 299th game for the club.
Even with a reserve side, Bayern Munich had no problem beating Freiburg 1-0 on Saturday to break the record for the number of points in a Bundesliga season.
With the second leg of their Champions League match this week in Spain, coach Jupp Heynckes made 10 changes from the side that thrashed Barcelona in midweek.
Schalke 04 crowd at Veltins Arena (Wikimedia Commons)
This Saturday, the Bundesliga's 3rd and 4th placed teams will square off when Schalke host Bayer Leverkusen at the Veltins-Arena. The match is particularly contentious as the two clubs are just four points apart in the Bundesliga table.
Saturday's important 17:30 kick-off sees 4th placed Schalke 04 host 3rd placed Bayer Leverkusen in the race for the automatic Champions League spot. Leverkusen were knocked-out in the first qualifying round of the Champions League this season and so will be looking to avoid such an embarrassing recurrence by finishing in the automatic qualification spot [.
There couldn't be a bigger difference in the style of play between West Ham United and Liverpool, but the two sides are said to be gearing up for a tug of war for Bayer Leverkusen hot-shot Stefan Kiesling. Given the fact that he towers at 6ft 4 and five of his 18 Bundesliga goals this season have come from his head, one of the sides will be more eager to get their hands on him than the other, but we have a more in-depth look at the Germany striker.
There was plenty to savour for some of Europe's leading clubs this weekend as Bayern Munich marched within three points of the Bundesliga title, Paris Saint-Germain stretched their lead in France and both Manchester United and Juventus maintained their advantages with wins.
Germany Bayern moved to within one victory of the Bundesliga crown with a scintillating display on Saturday, sweeping aside Hamburge 9-2.
Bayern Munich are within 5 points of winning the 2012/13 Bundesliga championship with a late 2-1 victory at Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Saturday. Mario Gomez has given the away side a 1-0 lead at half-time before Simon Rolfes equalised in the second half. A late Bastian Schweinsteiger free kick was deflected in by Philipp Wollscheid [.
Paul Lambert, manager of Aston Villa (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
As we enter the business end of the most major European seasons, title races are really beginning to heat up right across the continent. However the action at the foot of these league tables is equally exciting, with a number of relegation crunch-games coming up the over the next few days.
Bottom of the league Greuther Fürth held third place Bayer Leverkusen to a 0-0 draw at the Trolli Arena on Sunday in their first game following the sacking of Mike Büskens on Wednesday. Bayer Leverkusen had an opportunity to leapfrog Borussia Dortmund into second place with a victory following the Borussians draw in Gladbach earlier [.
Bayern Munich continued their seemingly unstoppable march towards the Bundesliga title with a convincing 3-0 win at Mainz today. A goal from Thomas Muller and a Mario Mandzukic brace earned the visitors the victory to extend their advantage at the top of the table to 14 points over Bayer Leverkusen, who face Borussia Dortmund tomorrow.
The top battle in this weekend's European action takes place in Germany, as Bayer Leverkusen hosts Borussia Dortmund for control of second place in the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen's scoreless draw last week at Freiburg opened the door for Dortmund, who has outscored opponents 13-1 in its last three matches, to move just one point back in the league table.
With German football currently taking a winter break, Eintracht Frankfurt can look back on 2012 with a satisfaction that few other clubs can match. Since their promotion to the Bundesliga last May they have accumulated an impressive thirty points and currently sit fourth in the table, behind only Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes has warned that the season is far from over ahead of his side's return to training for the second half of the season.
The record German champions have a nine-point cushion over Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga at the midway stage of the campaign, but Heynckes says his side must not rest on their laurels in 2013.
We start in the Bundesliga, where Fabian Johnson scored in Hoffenheim's 2-1 loss to Bayer Leverkusen. Trailing by two goals, Johnson scored in the 59th minute. Steve Cherundolo and Hannover were on the wrong side of a 5-0 shutout against Bayern Munich. Bayern have a nine-point lead at the top of the table after 13 games.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich 1-2 Highlights 2013 Gomez Rolfes Goals Wollscheid OG Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich 1-2 Highlights 2013 Gomez Rolfes Goals Wollscheid OG Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich 2013 ( Leverkusen Bayern VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich 1-2 ( Rolfes/ Gomez, Wollscheid OG) Bay Arena, Leverkusen- 16 [.
Marcel Schmelzer (C) of Borussia Dortmund (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
With just over half the season gone, German giants Bayern Munich sit eleven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga table. One has to believe that the Munich side will secure their 23rd German domestic league title as the squad they've assembled and their performances to date are nothing short of championship worthy.
The situation with Kevin De Bruyne in Germany is an interesting one. Tracked by Chelsea for a couple of seasons when he played in Belgium, signed by Chelsea last summer, took an active part on our pre season tour and then loaned to Werder Bremen for a season, it looks as though he will be leaving Chelsea on a permanent deal a year later without kicking a ball in anger for the football club and it sounds ridiculous doesn't it.
As far as Chelsea transfer news goes, the never-ending links to players across the world of football seem endless. The links continue today, however, as the Daily Mirror reports that the Blues are keen on £20million Bayer Leverkusen striker Andre Schurrle.
Werder Bremen's hopes of holding on to Belgian attacking-midfielder Kevin De Bruyne have been dealt a cruel blow this evening as rumours surface that Chelsea are close to completing a deal to bring Bayer Leverkusen's Andre Schürrle to Stamford Bridge, in a swap deal involving Kevin De Bruyne and a fee of around £12 million.
Clint Dempsey and Tottenham will look to move a step closer to a European trophy today when they take on French side Lyon in Europa League Round of 32 action, which kicks off today throughout Europe.
The English Premier League is well-represented in the knockout rounds, with Liverpool facing a stiff test in one of today's early matches as they take on big-spending Russian side Zenit St.
Luis Suarez of Liverpool (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The January transfer is officially only hours over a month away. Chelsea continue to be frustrated by poor results, as two straight draws under new manager Rafael Benitez are sure to have Roman Abramovich scrambling once again.
It hasn't been the luckiest of season for Manchester United winger Ashley Young. The footballer has only made 19 league appearances this season, and was substituted off the pitch on April 4 against Manchester City after picking up an ankle injury. Today, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled the winger out for the rest of the season.
Liverpool target Arkadiusz Milik is now high on Torino's wishlist as the Polish youngster's stock continues to rise. The Gornik Zabrze teenager has made his name in his homeland's top flight with seven goals in 14 appearances at the tender age of 18. The youngster is already drawing comparisons with Manchester United target Robert Lewandowski and Bayer Leverkusen are already heavily interested in signing the prospect.
In the second stage of the MLS Re-Entry Draft, D.C. United selected versatile midfielder John Thorrington, previously of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Thorrington came to MLS in 2005 with an impressive resume, having spent his youth in the Manchester United system, as well as Bayer Leverkusen. Thorrington was a regular for Huddersfield Town in the lower divisions of England before arriving in MLS with the Chicago Fire, where he earned eight goals and two assists in six seasons.
According to a report from The Sun, both Arsenal and Manchester United face a struggle if they want to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender at any time in the near future.
The report states that both clubs are planning moves for the £20million-rated midfielder, who joined the club back in 2009 from 1860 Munich, having won the prestigious Fritz-Walter trophy for best young German player during his time at the club, ahead of new Chelsea signing Marko Marin.
As spring continues to blossom - in some places faster than others - it starts to be crunch time for MNT players abrod while the guys in MLS are starting to hit their full stride six weeks into the season. Plenty to watch this weekend... FRIDAY Jonathan Spector (Leicester City vs.
As the MLS season approaches, there's still action aplenty abroad for members of the Men's National Team. This weekend sees Tim Howard in FA Cup action, Michael Bradley hosting the league leaders and a showdown between two MNT teammates in Mexico. Here's the viewing schedule:
AS Roma fans are champing at the bit after seeing their club go winless in league play since the start of the new year, but Michael Bradley and the rest of the Giallorossi can change all that with a win this weekend.
Roma will try to pick up their first victory since December, a stretch of even matches without a victory, when they host Juventus in one of the weekend's bigger match-ups.
Fabian Johnson scored his second goal of the season in the 59th minute of Hoffenheim's 1-2 loss at home against Bayer Leverkusen. The loss keeps Hoffeheim in 16th in the Bundesliga. Johnson came off in the 83rd for Takshi Usami and Danny Williams was an unused sub. Nice deflected strike though: Hoffenheim - Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 25.
Clint Dempsey has had a difficult time finding his feet since joining Tottenham, but his performance on Sunday might just be what sparks his first string of strong outings with Spurs.
Dempsey enjoyed a stellar showing against West Ham United, assisting on one goal and taking part in the buildup of another in Tottenham's 3-1 win.
Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling doesn't seem to be going anywhere thanks to Serie A giants Fiorentina. The Italian club has had a move for the big forward rejected, which means it's going to be even more difficult for Liverpool to sign the forward if Brendan Rodgers thinks he fits the bill for his Anfield project.
Six coaches from German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, including youth academy director Roman Klossek, will join Milwaukee-area coach Andreas Davi for a week-long camp next month in Menomonee Falls.
The inaugural German Fit Soccer Camp runs from June 17 to 21 at Schwabenhof, home of Milwaukee Sport Club, but the camp is not affiliated with any club.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen will compete in the ‘Aachen Cup' on Wednesday night along with Fortuna Düsseldorf and the host themselves, debt-ridden Alemannia Aachen at the Tivoli Stadium. Alemannia, whose run of three successive defeats has seen them drop into the relegation zone of the 3. Liga are going through administration proceedings and are in the [.
3 To See: Aston Villa v QPR, Saint-Etienne, Bayer Leverkusen is a post from: Just Football
by Ebrahim Sadien
Aston Villa v QPR (English Premier League)
Saturday 16th March – Kick-off 15:00 GMT
With both clubs languishing in the bottom four, Harry Redknap's Queens Park Rangers do battle with Paul Lambert's Aston Villa in a relegation six-pointer.
Simon Rolfes has signed a two-year extension to his current contract with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The captain, who joined the Werkself in 2005 has penned a deal to stay with the club until 30 June 2015. Bayer Leverkusen managing director Wolfgang Holzhäuser is happy with the performances of the club's captain: "Simon Rolfes has achieved [.
Two goals in the final 10 minutes for Bayer Leverkusen saw them turn defeat into 3 points at home to VfB Stuttgart on Saturday. The visitors went ahead in the 12th minute through Vedad Ibisevic's penalty. Stuttgart had defended well until Cristian Molinaro conceded a penalty. Stefan Keißling equalised and 4 minutes later Lars Bender [.
The 2002 Champions League Final is fondly remembered for that volley by Zinedine Zidane. As the rain swept over Hampden Park Zidane's iconic goal handed Madrid the lead for the second time that evening and eventually handed them the trophy, a fitting way to win to for any side to clinch victory. However the oft [.
Training on the grounds of Eintracht Frankfurt brought back memories for two members of the squad heading to Russia. Jermaine Jones spent the majority of his formative years with Die Adler (Eagles),beginning as an Academy player. He joined the first team in 2001 and stayed for seven seasons, minus a six-month spell at Bayer Leverkusen.
